alex.monkeymartian.com blog

H.O.V. Lanes and why they Bug me!

July 31st, 2007

Where so I start with this subject…hmm. I am not against these High Occupancy Vehicle lanes at all but how they are managed. I may have to ask Andrew about this but who decides where to put these lanes? Is is urban planners? Have these people ever driven on the highway where they have put in these lanes? I am only going to comment on the 404 lanes (north and southbound) because that is where I drive almost everyday but I do know that the rest of these lanes are set up the same way. To start my ranting, if your going to call it a high occupancy lane how come you can drive in it if you have 1 passenger in your car, to me that is not “high” occupancy? If I drive in the HOV lane on the highway with a passenger this is legal, but I cant drive in the HOV lanes in the city streets of Toronto because I need at least two passengers, shouldnt this be the same?

Also, how come they put these lanes on the far left of the highway, which is a nightmare for anyone using it if they are not taking the lane to the end? To cut across 4 lanes of traffic in rush hour is not very safe (never mind pissing off the other drivers who already give you an evil grin as you wiz by them and then try to cut in front so you can exit, trust me, people will not give you the time of day as it is). I have also seen the HOV motorist merging where they are not supposed to (there is a solid line for a reason people) so they are able to cut across to get to there exit (safely).

One last rant is that about half the cars I see in these lanes do not have more than just the driver. I mean, maybe there is a child in the back or a smaller individual that I cannot see so I dont get mad all the time but usually it is a middle age man in his nice convertible sports car with the top down just flying past everyone. I guess he can afford the $110.00 ticket.

I think they should of put these lanes in the far right of the highway so more people can use them, especially transit vehciles. I definatly would car pool with Corinne more if this was the case, but because we get off at Sheppard there is no way in hell that I would try to use the HOV lane and then cut across the 4 lanes. I do see a problem with this though, especially during Rush Hour when people are trying to merge from the on ramp to the HOV to the regular lanes and nobody is going to let them in. But I do think that this would be a better idea.

Ahh, that feels better.

Entry Filed under: Where is my Mind?